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That poll I posted the other day suggests that over half of you RPS reader types play games on Linux, either in part or exclusively. And if a poll says it, I’m in no position to argue, so boy do I have just the CES 2026 story for you: Lenovo are making a SteamOS version of their premium Legion Go 2 portable, joining the lower-end Legion Go S in spreading the Linux-based SteamOS beyond the confines of Valve’s own Steam Decks.
Cubey sandbox crafter Hytale launches into early access next Tuesday, January 13th, after a dicey few months in which it was cancelled, bought out by the original developers, and revived like a majestic square-beaked phoenix. It’ll also have a native Linux version, allowing anyone fed up with Microsoft’s continued bullshit to play it on a system running something that isn’t an increasingly bloated or prematurely abandoned Windows.
There are caveats, mind. In a Xitter post announcing the Linux version, Hypixel co-founder and tech director Kevin Carstens – well spotted by Gaming on Linux – stresses that it’ll be an "experimental" endeavour, potentially susceptible to bugs specific to different distributions (sub-versions) of the open-source OS. And the Steam Deck, which runs the Linux-based SteamOS, is in a trickier position still. Carstens explains that limited testing on a docked Deck, with the handheld aided by a mouse and keyboard, suggests it can run local singleplayer fine, though it’s "not officially recommended" as a Hytale-playing device as the game currently lacks controller support.
Valve’s quiet bankrolling of open-source emulation tools could make it heaps easier to play your PC games library on a humble smartphone, though it sounds like Gabe-made SteamOS phones are unlikely to be joining the company’s growing hardware catalogue. In an interview with The Verge, Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais confirmed that they’ve been funding the development of Fex – a free compatibility tool that gets Windows apps functioning on mobile ARM processors – since well before revealing the ARM-based Steam Frame standalone VR headset.
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While Valve has noted that it will price the Steam Machine so that it’s “more in line” with the “current PC market”, the company is yet to confirm what exactly this means. Former Xbox executive and Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, however, believes that the company should be more open with its operating system – SteamOS – and allow other companies to use it as well. In a social media post, Ybarra said that a key to the adoption of SteamOS would be to allow more companies to ship it with their own systems.
“Dear Valve Software, please just let 3rd parties use SteamOS and make the [hardware] with many different configurations,” wrote Ybarra. “SteamOS will take off and your Store revenue will only go up.” Ybarra went on to note that using SteamOS like this would also be a great move for Xbox, rather than the company sticking to Windows.
“This is what Xbox should do, btw,” his post continued. “But they will likely be forced to push Windows with AI, co-pilot, teams, and more. They could do GREAT if they embraced SteamOS on HW.”
It is worth noting that, since it is a Linux-based operating system, SteamOS is quite open even in its current form, with some users even finding success when they attempt to use the Steam Deck’s SteamOS recovery image on a desktop PC with AMD hardware. However, Valve hasn’t yet released SteamOS on its own to the public, and the operating system is still largely limited to specific sets of hardware, like the aforementioned Steam Deck and Lenovo’s Legion Go S.
The decision to not open it out the public is likely a technical one, since the operating system would need wider driver support in order to run on more hardware. Currently, the company is more focused on ensuring that its own hardware – the Steam Deck and the upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame – and is working with AMD to ensure the correct drivers are available in for the operating system. In fact, the company is likely keen on opening the operating system up to more hardware companies, but doesn’t have the bandwidth to ensure that all of the required driver development for different hardware configurations can be supported.
While SteamOS on its own might be “officially” limited to only Valve’s hardware releases, the Linux community has stepped up to fill in the gaps on its own. One of the more popular Linux distribution that offers a SteamOS-like experience is the Fedora-based Bazzite, which allows users to set it up to be quite similar to SteamOS, including booting right into Steam’s Big Picture mode.
On the subject of Xbox and the Steam Machine, NYU Stern Schoool of Business professor and industry analyst Joost van Dreunen has referred to Valve’s upcoming compact gaming PC as “Microsoft’s worst nightmare”.
“Steam Machine basically turns Microsoft’s worst nightmare into a shipping product,” said van Dreunen. “It pushes Microsoft further down the path it’s already walking, where Game Pass and cloud access matter more than plastic boxes.”
The Steam Machine is slated for launch some time in early 2026, alongside the new Steam Controller and the Steam Frame VR headset.
Dear @valvesoftware, please just let 3rd parties use SteamOS and make the HW with many different configurations. SteamOS will take off and your Store revenue will only go up.
— Mike Ybarra 🦃 (@Qwik) November 21, 2025
This is what Xbox should do, btw. But they will likely be forced to push Windows with AI, co-pilot,… https://t.co/ZFzcxLZqnj
The Steam Frame, a new VR headset Valve just announced alongside a new Steam Machine and Steam Controller, is both a simpler and more complex virtual reality kit than 2019’s Valve Index. While it lacks the Index’s fancy finger-tracking controllers, the hybrid headset can run Steam games straight from its own onboard storage, aided by controllers that adopt a more conventional gamepad (or Steam Deck)-style layout. The Frame’s goal, therefore, is to let its wearers play as many VR and non-VR games as possible – with its ARM-based Snapdragon chip posing both challenges and opportunities to spread that compatibility into Android VR games as well.
